Planar cavity mems and related structures, methods of manufacture and design structures

ABSTRACT

A method of forming at least one Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) includes patterning a wiring layer to form at least one fixed plate and forming a sacrificial material on the wiring layer. The method further includes forming an insulator layer of one or more films over the at least one fixed plate and exposed portions of an underlying substrate to prevent formation of a reaction product between the wiring layer and a sacrificial material. The method further includes forming at least one MEMS beam that is movable over the at least one fixed plate. The method further includes venting or stripping of the sacrificial material to form at least a first cavity.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to provisional application Ser.No. 61/358,621, filed on Jun. 25, 2010, the contents of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to semiconductor structures and methods ofmanufacture and, more particularly, to planar cavityMicro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures, methods ofmanufacture and design structures.

BACKGROUND

Integrated circuit switches used in integrated circuits can be formedfrom solid state structures (e.g., transistors) or passive wires (MEMS).MEMS switches are typically employed because of their almost idealisolation, which is a critical requirement for wireless radioapplications where they are used for mode switching of power amplifiers(PAs) and their low insertion loss (i.e., resistance) at frequencies of10 GHz and higher. MEMS switches can be used in a variety ofapplications, primarily analog and mixed signal applications. One suchexample is cellular telephone chips containing a power amplifier (PA)and circuitry tuned for each broadcast mode. Integrated switches on thechip would connect the PA to the appropriate circuitry so that one PAper mode is not required.

Depending on the particular application and engineering criteria, MEMSstructures can come in many different forms. For example, MEMS can berealized in the form of a cantilever beam structure. In the cantileverstructure, a cantilever arm (suspended electrode with one end fixed) ispulled toward a fixed electrode by application of an actuation voltage.The voltage required to pull the suspended electrode to the fixedelectrode by electrostatic force is called pull-in voltage, which isdependent on several parameters including the length of the suspendedelectrode, spacing or gap between the suspended and fixed electrodes,and spring constant of the suspended electrode, which is a function ofthe materials and their thickness. Alternatively, the MEMS beam could bea bridge structure, where both ends are fixed.

MEMS can be manufactured in a number of ways using a number of differenttools. In general, though, the methodologies and tools are used to formsmall structures with dimensions in the micrometer scale with switchdimensions of approximately 5 microns thick, 100 microns wide, and 200microns long. Also, many of the methodologies, i.e., technologies,employed to manufacture MEMS have been adopted from integrated circuit(IC) technology. For example, almost all MEMS are built on wafers andare realized in thin films of materials patterned by photolithographicprocesses on the top of the wafer. In particular, the fabrication ofMEMS uses three basic building blocks: (i) deposition of thin films ofmaterial on a substrate, (ii) applying a patterned mask on top of thefilms by photolithographic imaging, and (iii) etching the filmsselectively to the mask.

For example, in MEMS cantilever type switches the fixed electrodes andsuspended electrode are typically manufactured using a series ofconventional photolithographic, etching and deposition processes. In oneexample, after the suspended electrode is formed, a layer of sacrificialmaterial, e.g., the spin-on polymer PMGI made by Microchem, Inc., isdeposited under the MEMS structure, to form a cavity, and over the MEMSstructure to form a cavity. The cavity over the MEM is used to supportthe formation of a cap, e.g., SiN dome, to seal the MEMS structure.However, this poses several shortcomings. For example, it is known thatMEMS cavities formed with spin-on polymers such as PMGI, are non-planar.Non-planar MEMS cavities, though, introduce issues including, forexample, lithographic depth of focus variability and packagingreliability due to dielectric cracking. In addition, MEMS cavitiesformed with spin-on polymers require processing at low temperatures, toavoid reflowing or damaging the polymer; and the polymer can leaveorganic (i.e., carbon containing) residues in the cavity post venting.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficienciesand limitations described hereinabove.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, a method of forming at least oneMicro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) comprises patterning a wiringlayer to form at least one fixed plate and forming a sacrificialmaterial on the wiring layer. The method further includes forming aninsulator layer of one or more films over the at least one fixed plateand exposed portions of an underlying substrate to prevent formation ofa reaction product between the wiring layer and a sacrificial material.The method further includes forming at least one MEMS beam that ismovable over the at least one fixed plate. The method further includesventing or stripping of the sacrificial material to form at least afirst cavity.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of forming at least oneMicro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) comprises patterning a wiringlayer containing aluminum to form at least one fixed plate on asubstrate. The method further comprises depositing a dielectric layerover the at least one fixed plate to form a tapered profile on the atleast one fixed plate. The method further comprises depositing asacrificial silicon layer on top of the dielectric layer, and over theat least one fixed plate. The dielectric layer blocks reaction,alloying, or interdiffusion of the aluminum and the sacrificial siliconlayer during the depositing of the sacrificial silicon layer. The methodfurther comprises forming at least one upper MEMS beam above the atleast one fixed plate. The method further comprises venting or strippingof the sacrificial silicon layer to form at least a first cavity.

In another aspect of the invention, a structure comprises a lowerchamber with at least one fixed plate. The structure further comprisesan insulator layer covering the at least one fixed plate. The insulatorlayer comprises tapered corners which are structured to preventformation of aluminum silicide with a sacrificial material deposition.The structure further comprises at least one upper MEMS beam that ismovable over the at least one fixed plate.

In another aspect of the invention, a design structure tangibly embodiedin a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, ortesting an integrated circuit is provided. The design structurecomprises the structures of the present invention. In furtherembodiments, a hardware description language (HDL) design structureencoded on a machine-readable data storage medium comprises elementsthat when processed in a computer-aided design system generates amachine-executable representation of the MEMS, which comprises thestructures of the present invention. In still further embodiments, amethod in a computer-aided design system is provided for generating afunctional design model of the MEMS. The method comprises generating afunctional representation of the structural elements of the MEMS.

In particular aspects, the method in a computer-aided design system forgenerating a functional design model of a MEMS, comprises: generating afunctional representation of a wiring layer to form at least one fixedplate; generating a functional representation of an insulator layer overthe at least one fixed plate and exposed portions of an underlyingsubstrate to prevent formation of aluminum silicide during a subsequentsacrificial material deposition step; generating a functionalrepresentation of at least one upper MEMS beam over the at least onefixed plate; and generating a functional representation of venting orstripping of the sacrificial material to form at least a lower cavity.The generating a functional representation of an insulator layer overthe at least one fixed plate comprises a functional representation of aconformal oxidization barrier layer comprising at least one of Al₂O₃ andTa₂O₅.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 1-23 and 26-33 show various structures and related processingsteps in accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 24 a-24 f show top structural views of MEMS devices fabricatedusing the processes shown in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 25 shows several topography graphs (i.e., atomic force microscopydata) showing data for silicon divot depth vs. oxide polish;

FIG. 34 is a flow diagram of a design process used in semiconductordesign, manufacture, and/or test; and

FIG. 35 a shows a structure and process which reduces or eliminates anoxide seam in deposited silicon due to incoming topography, inaccordance with aspects of the invention (compared to FIG. 35 b whichshows the oxide seam).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to semiconductor structures and methods ofmanufacture and, more particularly, to planar cavity (e.g., flat orplanar surfaces) Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) structures,methods of manufacture and design structure. Advantageously, the methodsof forming the structures reduce overall stress on the MEMS structure,as well as reduce material variability of the MEMS device. Inembodiments, the structures and methods of forming the planar (e.g.,flat or planar surfaces) MEMS devices use a sacrificial layer to form acavity adjacent to the MEMS beams. In further embodiments, a two levelMEMS cavity is formed using a reverse damascene process to form a planar(e.g., flat or planar surface) structure. The MEMS structures of thepresent invention can be used, for example, as a single or dual wirebeam contact switch, dual wire beam capacitor switch, or single dualwire beam air gap inductor, amongst other devices.

FIG. 1 shows a beginning structure and related processing steps inaccordance with aspects of the invention. The structure disclosed in thenext several set of paragraphs is a MEMS capacitor switch, although themethods and structures are also applicable to other MEMS switches, suchas ohmic contact switches, which would not use a MEMS capacitordielectric; MEMS accelerometers; etc. The structure includes, forexample, a substrate 10. The substrate 10, in embodiments, can be anylayer of a device. In embodiments, the substrate 10 is a silicon wafercoated with silicon dioxide or other insulator material known to thoseof skill in the art. An interconnect 12 is provided within the substrate10. The interconnect 12 can be, for example, a tungsten or copper studformed in a conventionally formed via. For example, the interconnect 12can be formed using any conventional lithographic, etching anddeposition process, known to those of skill in the art for formingstuds, such as damascene. The interconnect 12 could contact other wiringlevels, CMOS transistors or other active devices, passive devices, etc.as known in the art.

In FIG. 2, a wiring layer is formed on the substrate 10 to form multiplewires 14 using conventional deposition and patterning processes. Forexample, the wiring layer can be deposited on the substrate to a depthof about 0.05 to 4 microns; although other dimensions are alsocontemplated by the present invention. In embodiments, the wiring layer14 is deposited to a depth of 0.25 microns. Thereafter, the wiring layeris patterned to form the wires (lower electrodes) 14 having a wirespacing (gap) 14 a therebetween. In embodiments, the wire space aspectratio, which is determined by the ratio of the height of the wire 14 tothe wire spacing 14 a, may affect material variability, (e.g.,topography) as discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 25. Forexample, a low aspect ratio of 1:20 could be formed from a 50 nm tallwire 14 with a 1000 nm space 14 a; and a high aspect ratio of 1:1 couldbe formed from a 500 nm tall wire with a 500 nm space. These aspectratio values are for reference only and, as will be discussed herein,the conformality of a sacrificial film 18 (FIG. 3) determines what wirespace aspect ratio is required.

At least one of the wires 14 is in contact (direct electrical contact)with the interconnect 12. In embodiments, the wires 14 can be formedfrom aluminum or an aluminum alloy such as AlCu, AlSi, or AlCuSi;although other wiring materials are also contemplated by the presentinvention. For example, the wires 14 can be a refractory metal such asTi, TiN, TiN, Ta, TaN, and W, or AlCu, amongst other wiring materials.In embodiments, the wires 14 can be doped with Si, e.g., 1%, to preventthe metal, e.g., Al, from reacting with an upper cavity layer material,e.g., silicon. In embodiments the aluminum portion of the wire can bedoped with Cu, e.g. 0.5%, to increase the electromigration resistance ofthe wire. In embodiments, the wires could be formed from pure refractorymetals, such as TiN, W, Ta, etc.

The surface morphology of wire 14 is determined by the atomic surfaceroughness as well as the presence of metal hillocks. Metal hillocks arebumps in the metal, typically about 10 nm-1000 nm wide and 10 nm-1000 nmtall. For aluminum wiring cladded in TiN below and above, for example200 nm AlCu cladded with 10/20 nm Ti/TiN below and 30 nm TiN above, atypical metal hillock could be 50 nm wide and 100 nm tall. For MEMScapacitors, where the wire 14 is coated with dielectric and is used asthe lower capacitor plate, the presence of hillocks or a high value ofatomic surface roughness decreases the capacitance density because theupper capacitor plate, which is formed from the MEMS beam, cannotclosely contact the lower capacitor plate, which is formed from wire 14.

Surface roughness can be measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM)or an optical profiler, and several known methods exist for measuringand quantifying the width and height of hillocks. In embodiments,hillocks are quantified by measuring the minimum to maximum height usingan AFM of wire areas typically ranging from 1 to 10,000 square microns,and the surface roughness by calculating the root mean square (RMS)roughness in areas with or without hillocks. In one embodiment, surfaceroughness is the RMS roughness of a 2 μm² area without visible hillocks.

Table 1 summarizes metal hillock and surface roughness data for avariety of wire materials measured using an AFM. The root mean square(RMS) roughness was measured in areas without visible metal hillocks inan approximate 2 μm² area. The maximum peak-to-valley hillock value wasmeasured in an approximate 10,000 μm² area. The purely refractory metalwire options had by far the lowest roughness and hillocks but thehighest resistance. Wires with AlCu have much lower resistance but muchhigher roughness and hillocks than purely refractory metal wires. Addingsufficient Ti under and over the AlCu and annealing the wafers at 350°C. to 450° C. for sufficient time to form the TiAl₃ silicide, i.e., 400°C. for 1 hour, either before or after patterning, dramatically reducesthe hillock minimum to maximum height while slightly increasing the RMSsurface roughness, due to reduced aluminum volume. In exemplaryembodiments, the wires 14 are annealed after patterning and etched toreduce TiAl₃-induced metal etch problems. Thinner Ti, e.g., 5 nm underand over the AlCu, had minimal or no effect on hillock reduction;whereas, 10 nm and 15 nm of Ti dramatically reduced the hillocks andwere equivalent. When the Ti reacts with aluminum to form TiAl₃, thealuminum (e.g., AlCu) thickness is reduced in approximately a 3:1fashion; i.e., for each 10 nm of Ti, 30 nm of aluminum is consumed toform TiAl₃; and, to always leave some unreacted AlCu in the wire, theTi:AlCu thickness ratio, where the Ti thickness comprises the layersunder and over the AlCu, needs to be less than 1:3. This means that, foroptimal hillock reduction and wire resistance taking into account the Tiand AlCu as deposited thickness variability, the as-deposited Tithickness range should be greater than 5% and less than 25% of theas-deposited AlCu thickness.

TABLE 1 AlCu Ta/TiN or RMS Maximum Process Ta Lower and rough- Peak-Resis- (TiN = 32 nm thickness upper Ti ness Valley tance for each layer)(nm) thickness (nm) hillock (nm) (Ω/SQ) TiN/AlCu/TiN 200 NA 4.6 148 0.18Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN 200  5 6.8 119 0.24 Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN 200 10 6.4 43 0.32Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN 200 15 6.2 46 0.42 TiN 32 NA 2.3 27 100 Ta/TiN 200/32 NA2.4 29 2

Metal hillock formation can also be induced by the layout of the wires.For example, a solid layout (FIG. 26 a) will tend to have both a greaternumber of metal hillocks and taller hillocks, than a layout broken upinto narrow lines using slots ‘S’ (FIGS. 26 b and 26 c) or holes ‘H’(FIG. 26 d).

More specifically, FIGS. 26 a-26 d show top view layouts of the MEMScapacitor plates with solid (FIG. 26 a), slotted “S” (FIGS. 26 b and 26c), and holed “H” (FIG. 26 d) layouts. The holed (FIG. 26 d) layout “H”could use diamonds (shown), octagons, circles, ovals, squares,plus-shaped, or any shapes cut out from the layout all represented byreference “H”. The slotted and holed layouts are designed both tominimize hillock formation and to not significantly increase theeffective wire resistance or decrease the capacitor plate area, due tothe removal of the metal. If a slotted layout “S” is used (FIG. 26 b)then the slot width is typically minimized so as to not decrease thecapacitor plate area or increase the effective wire resistance. Forexample, a slot width of 1 μm and the slots placed on a 6 μm pitch couldbe used; or a similar ratio of these values (i.e., 0.4 μm slot width and2.4 μm pitch). For the holed version in FIG. 26 d, the volume of metalremoved by the holes would be kept to around 20% or less, so as not tosubstantially increase the effective wire resistance or reduce thecapacitance. For example, 1 μm² area holes taking up 20% of the overallwire area could be used.

The volume of metal removed by slotting or holing the wires is alsodetermined by the tendency to form hillocks. For example, refractorymetals are not sensitive to forming hillocks and may not need to beslotted or holed. The tendency to form hillocks in aluminum or aluminumalloys increases as the wire thickness increases and the cappingrefractory metal (i.e., TiAl₃/TiN, TiN, etc.) thickness decreases. Fortaller wires, e.g., >=1 μm, the volume of metal needed to be removed byslotting or holing may be higher; wherein for shorter wires, e.g., <0.2μm, the volume of metal needed to be removed by slotting or holing maybe lower. The pitch is defined as the repeating wire width+space. For a5 μm pitch with 1 um space, the wire width would be 4 μm.

For embodiments, the wire width between the slots would be 4 μm andspacing from the vertical end of the wires to the edge of the wire shapewould also be 4 μm. Layouts using the slot algorithm where the ends ofthe slots are closed, shown in FIG. 26 b, are subject to hillockformation at the end of the slots, due to increased local area or othergeometry-induced effects. This is shown in FIG. 26 e, which shows aclosed slot layout with equal spacing both between the slots and betweenthe slots and the ends of the wire shapes A1. To reduce or eliminate thetendency to form hillocks in this location, the spacing between thevertical end of the slots and the end of the wire shape can be reducedto less than the slotted wire width, as shown in FIG. 26 f, which showsa wire width of A1 and slot spacings to the wire edge or slot edge of A2and A3, which are both less than A1. This applies to orthogonal slots(i.e., slots ending in a perpendicular 90 degree angle fashion) as wellas angled slots (i.e., slots ending at 45 degrees or another angle), asshown in FIG. 26. Another potential problem caused by slotting wires isthe formation of a triple point in the subsequent silicon depositionabove an uncapped slot. When the slots or holes are not capped, as shownin FIG. 26 c or the upper portion of FIG. 26 d, the subsequent silicondeposition can form a triple point, labeled “TP” in FIG. 26 c, over theend of the uncapped slot, resulting in a defect in the silicon surfacewhich can propagate up to subsequent wiring or other levels. To avoidthis defect, the slotted ends can, optionally, be capped or closed, asshown in FIG. 26 b. A similar triple point defect can occur for a holeddesign, again which can be eliminated to closing the hole. Open andclosed holes are shown in the upper and lower portions of FIG. 26 d.

Depending on the patterning of the wiring, voids or seams can form inthe sacrificial material, e.g. silicon, between and above the spacesbetween the wires during later processing steps as described below. Aseam is a region in the silicon in a gap between the underlying wires orother topography which is created as a byproduct of the silicondeposition profile. These seams can contain impurities, such as oxygen,and can cause subsequent problems due to either the presence of oxidizedsilicon or the seam opening up due to CMP, wet chemical, RIE, or otherdownstream processes. That is, if the aspect ratio of the spacing to theheight of the wires 14 is high, voids or seams can form in upper layersduring subsequent deposition processes. These voids or seams can affectthe topography of the material, e.g. silicon, especially if there is aunder or over polishing during a subsequent process step; or if thevoids oxidize during deposition of the subsequent film. Alternatively,if a damascene or reverse damascene process is employed for wiring level14, then the surface will be substantially planer and subsequent layerswill not be sensitive to forming voids. A reverse damascene process isone where the wires would be deposited and patterned, followed by adielectric deposition and planarization step such that the wire surfaceswere exposed but there was planer dielectric between the wires.

In FIG. 3, an insulator layer (dielectric layer) 16 is formed on themultiple wires 14 and exposed portions of the substrate 10. Inembodiments, the insulator layer 16 is an oxide deposited to about 80nm; although other dimensions are also contemplated by the presentinvention. The combined thickness of lower MEMS capacitor insulatorlayer 16 and the subsequent upper MEMS capacitor insulator layer 34shown in FIG. 11, determine the breakdown voltage and time dependentdielectric breakdown properties of the MEMS capacitor. For MEMSoperation at 50V, the breakdown voltage needs to be greater than 50V,typically greater than 100V, to ensure high MEMS capacitor reliability.A combined MEMS capacitor insulator thickness of 160 nm is sufficient tobe highly reliable for 50V MEMS operation. This insulator layer 16,which is only required if a MEMS capacitor is being fabricated, willform the lower capacitor plate dielectric. The insulator layer 16 alsoacts as a barrier between the metal in wire 14, e.g., aluminum, and thesubsequent material 18, i.e., silicon. Silicon and aluminum will reactto form an intermetallic which is difficult to remove and, if formed,can block MEMS beam activation by blocking the beam from fullycollapsing during actuation. The formation of this intermetallic can beprevented by a robust insulator layer 16. Note that insulator layer 16needs to be deposited at temperatures compatible with aluminum wiring,e.g., under about 420° C. and preferably under about 400° C., whichprecludes using highly conformal dielectrics such as liquid phasechemical deposition (LPCVD) SiO₂, which is deposited at temperaturesmuch greater than about 420° C. Deposition options for insulator layer16 include one or more of plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), sub-atmosphericCVD (SACVD), atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD), high density plasma CVD(HDPCVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), or atomic layer deposition(ALD). This layer will be discussed in more detail with regard to FIGS.27 a-c.

A layer of sacrificial cavity material 18 such as, for example, silicon,tungsten, tantalum, germanium, or any material which can subsequently beselectively removed using, for example XeF₂ gas, to the insulator layer16 or the wire 14 if the insulator layer 16 is absent, is deposited onthe insulator layer 16; or on layer 14 if the insulator layer 16 is notpresent. In embodiments, silicon is used for layer 18. The layer 18 canbe deposited using any conventional plasma vapor deposition (PVD),PECVD, rapid thermal CVD (RTCVD), or LPCVD which operates attemperatures compatible with the wiring 14, e.g., <420° C. Inembodiments, the layer 18 is deposited to a height of about 0.1 to 10microns which is determined by the MEMS gap requirement, and ispatterned using conventional lithographic and reactive ion etching (RIE)steps. One example would use a silicon thickness of about 2.3 microns.

A common RIE etch gas for silicon is SF₆ where the SF₆ is diluted withother gases such as CF₄, nitrogen, or argon. The silicon depositionprocess used to deposit silicon layer 18 can generate seams betweenwires and at the edges of wires, as discussed above. If these seams areoxidized or have other impurities in them, then they are difficult toetch during the silicon layer 18 etch step or during the final siliconcavity venting etch. To avoid leaving oxidized seams on the wafer aftersilicon layer 18 etch, a combination of argon dilution with rf biaspower applied to the wafer to simultaneously sputter and RIE etch thesurface can be used. Voids 20 can form over the spaces 14 a betweenwires 14, due to poor step coverage or conformality of the layer 18. Thewidth of the void 20, spacing from the substrate 10, and spacing fromthe surface of the silicon 20 a, is determined by the aspect ratio ofthe wire 14, the conformality of the silicon deposition and the shape ofthe insulator layer 16.

FIGS. 27 a-27 c show several insulator layer 16 shapes over the wires14. The wires 14 shown in FIG. 27 a are drawn with an undercut of theAlCu under the upper TiN/TiAl₃ layer 14′. This undercut often occursduring metal RIE processing and, if present, increases the difficulty ofobtaining good wire 14 sidewall coverage of insulator layer(s) 16. FIG.27 a shows the formation of the insulator layer 16 using conformalprocesses such as, for example, LPCVD, APCVD or SACVD. These conformaldeposition processes provide nearly uniform insulator thickness on thetop, side, and bottom surfaces 16A, 16B, and 16C. These conformaldeposition processes, when operated at temperatures compatible withaluminum or copper-based wiring, e.g. under 420 C, may have poorcapacitor dielectric properties, for example, high leakage current, lowvoltage breakdown, or poor TDDB reliability. This profile provides astep formation 300 in the void 20. FIG. 27 b shows the formation of theinsulator layer 16 using PECVD or PVD. This profile provides a “breadloafed” or “double tapered” profile formation 305 in the void 20.Although these “bread loafed” films are not conformal, they may haveexcellent capacitor dielectric properties due to their plasmadeposition. To reduce or eliminate the void 20, it is desirable to havea tapered profile, as shown in FIG. 27 c, which improves the layer 18step coverage and reduces or eliminates the void 20.

Divots 19 (see, e.g., FIG. 8 or 9 a) may form over the voids or seams20, on the layer 18 surface, between the wires 14. The voids 20 anddivots 19 form due to the spacing between the wires 14, and they canvary depending on the height of the layer 18, as well as the spacingand/or height of the wires 14. These divots 19 can deepen duringsubsequent processing, such as chemical mechanical processing, asdiscussed below in regards to FIG. 8. These divots 19 and seams canoxidize during subsequent processing such as exposure to humid air, anoxidizing ambient photoresist strip, or a plasma oxide deposition andthese oxidized silicon regions will not be removed during the finalsilicon venting or removal step. If this happens, then these oxidizedsilicon residuals, which are under the MEMS beam, can block the MEMSbeam from contacting the lower electrode (wire) 14, resulting in pooractuation. (See, e.g., element 19 a in FIG. 33.) Tapering the insulatorlayer 16 profile (FIG. 27 c) reduces or eliminates this effect byeliminating the void and divot, as does eliminating the void byimproving the silicon deposition gapfill. The profile can be tapered(FIG. 27 c) by depositing a high density plasma CVD oxide as part or allof the insulator layer 16. Alternatively, an insulator deposition andone or more sputter etch back and subsequent insulator deposition(s)could produce the same tapered profile of the insulator layer 16.Alternatively, as discussed below, the silicon deposition can bemodified to taper the silicon profile to 45 degrees by in-situsputtering the silicon film in the PVD silicon deposition chamber.

The insulator layer 16 over wire 14 also acts to block reaction,alloying, or interdiffusion of the wire 14 material and the layer(cavity material) 18. For example, if wire 14 contains aluminum, thenthe aluminum can react with the silicon to form an aluminum silicide,which is difficult or impossible to remove during the subsequent layer18 (sacrificial layer) venting or removal step. This aluminum silicideformation can occur in the upper wire corners, for example, because theinsulator layer 16 has a retrograde deposition profile (FIG. 27 b) orhas little coverage in the upper wire corner (FIG. 27 c), resulting inexposed aluminum to the layer 18 deposition. Although this problem canbe reduced or eliminated by increasing the thickness of the insulatorlayer, increasing the thickness is not always possible because of theassociated reduction in capacitance of the MEMS capacitor formed usingwire 14 as a bottom plate. In addition, wire surface or corner defects(not shown) could block the insulator layer 16 from fully coating thealuminum. This aluminum-silicon reaction can result in protrudingaluminum silicide whisker-like features that can block or partiallyblock the MEMS beam from actuating. To prevent this layer 16 and 18reaction, a conformal barrier, such ALD Al₂O₃ (alumina), ALD Ta₂O₅(tantalum pentaoxide), or a combination of both can be deposited. In oneexemplary embodiment, layer 16 consists of 80 nm of HDPCVD oxidefollowed by 15 nm of ALD alumina. ALD films have extremely slowdeposition rates and, although they could be used solely as the MEMScapacitor dielectric, it may be impractical because of the longdeposition times and high manufacturing costs. One ALD alumina film hasa deposition rate of 1 nm per minute, which means that it would take 80minutes to deposit a 80 nm film. Thus using a combination of fastdeposition SiO₂ and slow deposition alumina is optimal. Note that theALD alumina or similar film can be used under the 80 nm of oxide; andalso can be used under the upper MEMS electrode 38 to block siliconreaction with the upper MEMS electrode.

In FIG. 3 a, an optional processing step of forming a dielectric peg 16a, (e.g., oxide peg) is shown in accordance with aspects of theinvention. In this optional step, the oxide peg 16 a can be formed priorto the formation of the deposition insulator layer 16. For example, theoxide peg 16 a can be a deposited PECVD SiO₂ film, which is patternedand etched on the wires 14 using conventional lithographic and etchingprocesses. With this option, the oxide peg 16 a could be patterned andetched first, followed by the wire 14 patterning and etching; or thewire 14 could be patterned and etched first followed by the oxide peg 16a deposition and etching. Patterning and etching the oxide peg 16 aprior to the wire 14 patterning and etching avoids increasing the aspectratio 14 a incoming to insulator layer 16 deposition because the oxidebetween wires 14 is not etched during etching of the oxide peg 16 a. Inaddition, if the oxide peg 16 a is patterned and etched after the wires14 are patterned and etched, then the perfluorocarbon-based RIEchemistry used to etch the oxide peg 16 a could also etch the top TiNlayer of the wire 14, resulting in a degraded surface and degraded MEMScapacitor electrical yield or reliability. The oxide peg 16 a, whenplaced over the MEMS actuators in regions away from the MEMS capacitoror contact head, forms a protective layer during MEMS operation, whichcan prevent the conductor in the MEMS beam from electrically arcing tothe lower actuator electrode in areas that the MEMS beam does not needto closely contact the lower electrode. Since the preferred processpatterns and etches the oxide peg prior to patterning and etching thewire 14, it is desirable to avoid having the spaces 14 a between thewires 14 intersect the oxide peg. After formation of the oxide peg 16 a,the insulator layer 16 and layer 18 can be formed as described above.

As optional processing steps, the layer 18 can be planarized using, forexample, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and then, optionally,additional material (silicon) can be deposited on the polished layer 18to provide a seamless silicon layer on the surface of the lower siliconMEMS cavity. Note that conventional CMP and subsequent cleaningprocesses, such as brush cleans, dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF),buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF), cryogenic cleans, etc. would beperformed after any CMP step to remove the native oxide formed on thesilicon surface. For example, referring to FIG. 4 a, the layer 18 isdeposited on the insulator layer 16 using a conventional depositionprocess such as, for example, PVD. As shown in FIG. 4 a, voids 20 can beformed in the layer 18, between the wires 14, with the divots 19 formedover the voids 20. As shown in FIG. 4 b, the layer 18 is planarizedusing, for example, a CMP process. In FIG. 4 c, a second layer ofmaterial 22, e.g., silicon, is deposited on the planarized layer 18. InFIG. 4 d, the silicon layers 18 and 22 (which form now a single layer(hereinafter referred to as layer 18) are patterned using conventionallithographic and reactive ion etching (RIE) steps. This silicondeposition, CMP, and second deposition process eliminates the divots 19in the silicon surface, eliminates the chance of oxidizing the seam 20,and partially or completely planarizes the topography on the siliconsurface due to the incoming wire 14 and wire space 14 a topography.

One set of example thicknesses would be a 250 nm tall wire 14, a 500 nmspace 14 a between wires 14, a 2 micron initial silicon 18 depositionthickness, a 400 nm silicon CMP removal over the wires 14 to planarizethe 250 nm step over wires 14, and a subsequent silicon deposition 22thick enough to partially remain on the wafer during the subsequentreverse oxide planarization processes shown in FIGS. 5-8. In oneexemplary embodiment, 200 nm of silicon is removed from the regionsabove wires 14 and substantially less than 50 nm in the spaces betweenwires 14 a, which partially planarizes the regions over the wires 14 andspaces 14 a.

Silicon CMP is commonly performed to form deep trench DRAM capacitors,as known in the art. With this type of silicon CMP, the CMP process isoptimized to maximize the selectivity to the pad insulator (e.g. SiO₂ oroxide) films on the wafer surface, i.e., the silicon CMP rate ismaximized and the oxide CMP rate is minimized such that the selectivityof silicon to oxide is 50:1. This type of silicon CMP process is optimalfor silicon films deposited using CVD but can cause problems for siliconfilms deposited using PVD. PVD silicon films polished with conventionalselective silicon CMP processes may have problems with defects in thePVD silicon film which can cause the local polish rate to be reduced.These PVD silicon defects, which may be due to oxidized silicon, otherimpurities, or the silicon grain structure, can cause the selectivesilicon CMP process to leave underpolished point defects on the polishedsilicon surface.

To avoid these point defects during silicon CMP, a less selective ornon-selective silicon polish process can be used, e.g., using a SiO₂polish chemistry and process instead of a silicon CMP polish chemistryand process. The use of a less selective silicon polish processeliminates these point surface defects post polish. An example of aselective silicon polish is a basic media, such as TMAH with silicaabrasive with a ph high enough to dissolve silicon, i.e., >12, which hasa silicon:SiO₂ selectivity of 50:1; an example of a non-selectivesilicon polish is basic media, such as KOH, with a ph<12, which is toolow to dissolve the silicon, using a silica abrasive. This non-selectivesilicon CMP process would have silicon: SiO₂ selectivities of less than50:1 and, in one exemplary embodiment, would be in the range of 2:1 to1:2.

To avoid polishing into the void 20, it is desirable for the firstsilicon deposition to be thick enough to bury the void below thesurface. Silicon is opaque to optical wave lengths of light. If thesubsequent lithographic process used to pattern the silicon uses opticalwave lengths, then the silicon CMP process should not fully planarizeeither alignment structures using the wire level topography; orpartially filled alignment structures using the damascene level 12. Ifthe subsequent lithographic processes use infrared light or othermethods that can detect features under the silicon, then theseprecautions are not needed.

A thin native oxide (e.g., SiO₂) forms on any silicon surface exposed toair or oxygen, even at room temperature. When the silicon is etched orvented during subsequent processing, the presence of this native oxidecan either block the etch or venting, or can remain on the wafer as afew monolayer SiO₂ film. To avoid this, either the silicon surfaceshould be hydrogen passivated by exposing the silicon to vapor, plasma,or liquid hydrofluoric acid (HF), or a preclean using, for example, a rfbiased argon sputter preclean, should be performed immediately prior todepositing the second silicon layer 22, without exposing the wafer toair or oxygen.

Referring to FIG. 5, an insulator material (e.g., oxide) 24 is depositedon the layer 18. The oxide deposition can be, for example, aconventional conformal deposition process, depositing the oxide layer 24to a depth of about approximately the same as the silicon 18 height,e.g., about 2.3 μm for a 2.3 micron thick layer 18. For example, thedeposition process can be a 400° C. PECVD oxide deposited using TEOS orsilane as a silicon source and oxygen or N₂O as an oxygen source, asknown in the art. If the oxide layer 24 thickness is intentionallythinner than the height of the silicon layer 18, then the subsequentoxide CMP process shown in FIG. 8 will overpolish and planarize thesurface of the silicon layer 18. Conversely, if the oxide layer 24thickness is intentionally thicker than the height of the silicon layer18, then the subsequent oxide CMP process shown in FIG. 8 willunderpolish the surface of the silicon layer 18 and leave it buriedbelow the oxide surface. Both process options can be desirable,depending on how important minimizing the silicon surface 18 overpolishis vs. planarizing the oxide layer 24 or silicon 18 surface topographyfrom wiring levels 14. In one exemplary embodiment, silicon 18 layer isabout 2.3 microns, the oxide layer 24 is about 2.1 microns, and theoptional oxide etchback step shown in FIG. 7 is targeted at a full oxideremoval, i.e., >2.1 microns. This results in the subsequent oxide polishprocess further planarizing the silicon layer 18.

In FIG. 6, an optional reverse etch (reverse damascene process) isperformed in accordance with aspects of the invention. Morespecifically, a resist 26 is deposited on the oxide layer 24 and ispatterned to form an opening 28, with the resist edges 26 a overlappingwith edges of the underlying layer 18. That is, the resist 26 willslightly mask the underlying layer 18. The overlap needs to be greaterthan 0 and can be, for example, 3 microns and is minimized to reduce theoxide layer 24 left to be planarized during the subsequent CMP process.If the overlap is negative, then the subsequent RIE etch will etch intothe lower portion of oxide layer 24, resulting in a deep trench adjacentto the silicon layer 18, which could cause problems such as residualmetal from the subsequent wiring level inside the deep trench, resultingin electrical wire shorting at subsequent levels, and which should beavoided. As shown, the opening is a reverse image of the patterned layer18.

As shown in FIG. 7, the oxide material 24 is etched using conventionalRIE processes. In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the etching processresults in a “picture frame” 30, which surrounds the underlying layer18. If the oxide material 24 is etched completely down to the surface oflayer 18, then the oxide overpolish in regions away from the layer 18will be minimized. This can be desirable to minimize the overpolish oflayer 18, to reduce its thickness tolerance; and to eliminate thepossibility of leaving residual oxide over the silicon in the MEMScapacitor or contact area. Alternatively, some oxide can be left overlayer 18, as shown in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 8, the oxide material 24 is planarized, e.g., to be planar(e.g., a nearly flat or planar surface) with the underlying layer 18. Inembodiments, this process will also planarize the underlying siliconlayer 18, which will advantageously result in a planar cavity structure(e.g., having flat or planar surfaces) in subsequent processing steps.The planarization process can be, for example, a CMP process.Unexpectedly, and as discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 25,the oxide CMP can minimize the variability of the underlying layer 18;for example, depending on the wiring spacing, the polishing of the oxidematerial 24 can minimize divots between the wires 14 (e.g., over thespace 14 a formed between the wires 14).

FIG. 25 shows several topography graphs (i.e., atomic force microscopydata) for silicon divot depth vs. oxide polish of the surface of layer18 shown in FIG. 8. These graphs are related to the polishing of theoxide layer 24 shown, for example, in FIG. 8. In this example, the divot19 in the layer 18 (See, e.g., FIGS. 3 and 8) can be as tall as 250 nm(0.25 μm), which is the thickness of the wires 14.

The graphs of FIG. 25 show CMP of the oxide layer 24 for 30 seconds, 60seconds and 90 seconds, with different wiring spacing 14 a of 0.5 μm,0.8 μm and 5.5 μm. These graphs show the unexpected importance of thewiring spacing 14 a of the wires 14, in order to minimize topographyvariability of the layer 18. For example, a slot (spacing) of 0.5 μm anda CMP of the oxide for 30 seconds shows a 2 nm divot depth in the layer18, compared to 5 nm and 10 nm for a CMP of the oxide for 60 seconds and90 seconds, respectively. Also, a slot of 0.8 μm with a CMP of the oxidefor 30 seconds shows a 30 nm divot depth of the layer 18, compared to 2nm and 8 nm for a CMP of oxide for 60 seconds and 90 seconds,respectively. Additionally, a slot of 5.5 μm with a CMP of the oxide for30 seconds shows a 170 nm divot depth, compared to 40 nm and 10 nm for aCMP of 60 seconds and 90 seconds, respectively. These results were notexpected, as a increasing CMP time of the oxide would have been expectedto show an optimization, i.e., reduction of the divot depth, of thetopography of the layer 18. These divots in layer 18 will replicateunder the MEMS beam, resulting in MEMS beam underside topography. Inaddition, the MEMS beam underside topography, which will consist of bothdeposited oxide as well as potentially an oxidized seam under the divot,can have poor adhesion to the MEMS beam with resultant flaking duringMEMS operation. This flaking can cause catastrophic MEMS capacitor yieldor reliability degradation, due to the presence of flaking oxide in theMEMS cavity under or over the MEMS beam.

Accordingly, a method of reducing a divot depth or the variability ofthe silicon layer used for a MEMS structure includes determining aspacing between wires formed on the silicon layer. The method furtherincludes etching an oxide layer for a predetermined amount in order tominimize variability of the silicon layer. The etching for apredetermined amount of time, for each spacing, will result in anoptimal structure, e.g., reduce any variability in the silicon layer.The divots over layer 18, which form over seams or voids in the silicondue to underlying topography induced by the gap 14 a in layer 14, can bethe source of residual oxide under the MEMS beam post venting orrelease. For example, the oxide layers 24 or 34 can be deposited using aPECVD process which contains an oxidizing plasma and, optionally, atabout 350° C. or 400° C., resulting in oxidization of the divot or seam.This oxidized divot or seam CC, as shown in FIG. 33, can remain on theunderside of the MEMS beam post silicon venting, resulting in topographyunder the MEMS beam, which can either partially block the MEMS beam fromcontacting the lower capacitor electrode (wire) 14, or disintegrate orfall off during MEMS beam actuation or operation, resulting indielectric damage of the MEMS capacitor. The optional embodimentdescribed in FIGS. 4 b, 4 c, and 4 d, where the layer 18 is polished andcapped with a second silicon layer 22, eliminates this problem.

As an optional step shown in FIG. 9 a, the oxide material 24 can bedeposited to a thickness of about 3.3 μm, compared to the 2.3 μm shownin FIG. 5. For this embodiment, the oxide etch depth is similar to theone described in FIG. 7, but would be approximately 1 um deeper andwould need to expose the surface of the underlying silicon layer 18. Thedivot 19, e.g., may be formed over the voids 20 shown in the layer 18,between the wires 14. As shown in FIG. 9 a, the thick oxide material 24is deposited on the sides of the layer 18, patterned and etched, andpolished using CMP. In FIG. 9 b, a silicon layer 32, for example, isdeposited on the thick oxide material 24 and the layer 18. As mentioned,previously, a native (or any) oxide should be avoided on the surface oflayer 18 prior to the deposition of subsequent silicon layer 32 shown inFIG. 9 c.

In FIG. 9 c, the silicon layer 32 (and portions of the oxide material24) is planarized using conventional processes such as, for example,CMP, which may eliminate or minimize the divots. In embodiments, thisprocess will advantageously result in a planar cavity structure (e.g.,flat or planar surfaces) in subsequent processing steps. These addedsteps, i.e., silicon deposition, CMP, deposition (FIG. 4 a-4 c; FIG. 9a-9 c) and the reverse damascene oxide CMP overpolish (FIG. 6-8) ornon-reverse damascene oxide CMP overpolish (FIGS. 5 and 8) determineboth the micro and macro MEMS beam topography. Micro MEMS beamtopography due to divots above the silicon voids are further discussedbelow in relation to FIG. 25.

An example of undesirable macro topography are curved silicon surfaces18 a and 18 b shown in FIGS. 9 d and 9 e. FIG. 9 d shows the siliconsurface curvature 18 a due to non-optimized planarization, and morespecifically shows an example of undesirable macro topography. Thismacro topography convex 18 a or concave 18 b curvature in the lowersacrificial cavity material 18 can cause released MEMS beam ‘frozen-in’curvature and poor MEMS actuation, i.e., the MEMS beam can be curvedaround the sacrificial cavity 18 material, resulting in high post beamrelease curvature and poor MEMS beam actuation or contact area. Thecurvature of the silicon surface can be defined by the radius ofcurvature ROC. A silicon ROC of less than 1 cm is desirable and ROCvalues greater than 5 cm will result in approximately 50% reduction ofMEMS capacitor capacitance due to reduced MEMS capacitor surface contactarea and a larger spacing between the two MEMS capacitor plates.

In FIG. 10 a, starting from the structure of either FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 c,optional trenches 33 can be formed in the silicon layer 18, over wirings14. To ensure that the silicon is uniformly etched, an optional oxideRIE process can be performed on the resist patterned wafers prior tosilicon etch. In addition, with or without the optional oxide RIEprocess, a HF clean with photoresist on the wafer can be performed tohydrogen passivate the silicon surface prior to etching the silicon. Inembodiments, the trenches 33 are formed to a depth of about 0.3 μm into2 micron tall layer 18 (e.g., sacrificial cavity material 18); althoughother dimensions are contemplated by the invention depending on thedesign parameters and, more particularly, the height of the layer 18.

As with the oxide pegs 16 a discussed in FIG. 3 a, the purpose of thesedamascene oxide pegs or trenches 33 is to place a dielectric bumperbetween the MEMS beam and the lower wire level 14, to prevent electricalarcing due to the close proximity of wires in the MEMS beam and the wire14 during MEMS operation. Arcing could occur when a high dc voltage,i.e., 5-100V, is applied to the MEMS actuator in, for example, the wire14. To avoid the potential for electrical arcing, the subsequent MEMSbeam metal layer in close contact to the bottom of trench 33 could beremoved, as shown in FIGS. 10 b and 10 c. Oxide peg 33 a has had thesubsequent MEMS beam metal layer 38 taken out of the design while oxidepeg 33 b has metal layer 38 left in the design.

The subsequent metal layer 38, which is used to form the MEMS beam lowerelectrode, can be patterned either to cover the oxide peg 33 or to leaveit uncovered. If it is uncovered, then the likelihood of arcing or otherdielectric damage between the actuator plates is reduced; if it iscovered, i.e. metal extends down into oxide peg 33, then theeffectiveness of the oxide peg to reduce actuator arcing or dielectricdamage may be reduced. If the oxide peg 33 is not covered by metal layer38 and there is a step down into the peg due to process method chosen,then there may be a thin metal spacer left along the sidewall of theoxide peg. Since this metal spacer does not contact the electrode 38, itis unimportant.

A nearly 90 degree or rounded bottom corner of the oxide peg can beused. To round the peg bottom, which is desirable if the subsequent MEMSbeam metal 38 is present over the peg, the rf bias power on the wafercan be reduced or eliminated during the argon-SF₆-base silicon etchprocess and the argon flow can be reduced. The oxide peg 33 can bepatterned and etched either before or after the reverse cavityplanarization process. If it is done after, then its depth variabilityis controlled solely by the silicon etch depth variability and not bythe reverse cavity oxide CMP planarization step. Alternatively, if it isdone before the reverse cavity oxide planarization oxide depositionstep, then it will have an added component of height variability, due toCMP removal variability, but it will be filled or partially filled withplanarized oxide, which will increase the separation or spacing ofsubsequent metal level 38 from the actuator metal level 14 if the oxidepeg is covered by the metal.

In FIG. 11, an upper capacitor dielectric or oxide deposition isperformed on the structure of FIG. 10 a. More specifically, in thisdeposition step, oxide material 34 can be deposited to a height of about80 nm; although other dimensions are contemplated by the presentinvention as discussed previously. The MEMS capacitor dielectric, whenthe MEMS beam is actuated, comprise dielectric layers 16 and 34, whichare separated by a small gap, due to the surface roughness and hillocksof the MEMS capacitor electrodes. A tapered via 36 can be formed in theoxide materials 24 and 34 to the underlying wire 14′. The tapered via 36can be formed using conventional lithographic, etching, and cleaningprocesses, known to those of skill in the art. Care should be taken withthe tapered via not to overly oxidize the underlying TiN, TiAl₃, or AlCusurface, which can cause high via resistance. Optionally, the post viaRIE photoresist strip can be performed at low temperature, i.e., 100°C., to minimize oxidization. Alternatively, a damascene tungsten studvia could be fabricated, as is known in the art. The use of a taperedvia 36 reduces the CMP exposure of the silicon surface, resulting inless silicon 18 thickness variability, avoiding polishing or damagingthe upper MEMS capacitor insulator 34, as well as a lower chance offorming a deep divot. Since the silicon layer 18 thickness determinesthe pull-in voltage of the MEMS device, minimizing its variability isdesirable. Note that the tapered via 36 should be used outside of thesilicon cavity area, because the oxide etch used to fabricate it wouldbe blocked by the silicon layer 18 if it was placed inside the siliconcavity. If the subsequent metal deposition process used for wire 38 haspoor conformality or side wall coverage, than the aspect ratio oftapered via 36 needs to be low, e.g., 0.5:1. For a 2 micron thickinsulator 24, a 4 micron wide tapered via 36 could be used.Alternatively, if a conformal aluminum process, i.e. a hot reflow PVD orCVD process, was used, than a higher aspect ratio could be used fortapered via 36.

In FIG. 12, a wire of electrode 38 is formed and patterned over theoxide material 34, and also deposited within the via 36 to contact theunderlying wire 14′. The electrode 38 can also be deposited in thetrenches 33; however, for illustrative purposes the electrode is notshown in the trench 33 of FIG. 12 (although electrode 38 is shown formedin trench in subsequent figures). In embodiments, the electrode 38 canbe, for example, AlCu; although other materials are also contemplated bythe invention. In embodiments, for example, the electrode 38 can be TiN,TiN or W, Ru, Pt, Ir, amongst other materials. The thicknesses of thisand other electrodes and/or wires can vary depending on the specificdesign parameters. For example, Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN layers could be used with10 nm, 480 nm, 10 nm, and 32 nm thickness, respectively, which wouldform TiAl₃ under and over the AlCu after 400 C annealing. To minimizeany hillocks, in embodiments, an optional Ti layer may be depositedand/or formed in direct contact with Al, as discussed previously. Inthis case, the hillocks should be suppressed on the lower surface of thewire (electrode) 38, as opposed to the upper surface. Alternatively, theelectrode 38 could be formed from a noble metal, such as Au; or arefractory metal, such as W or Ta; or without a Ti—AlCu interface, e.g.,Ti/TiN/AlCu/TiN.

In FIG. 13, an insulator material 40 is conformally deposited over theelectrode 38. In embodiments, the insulator material 40 is a depositedoxide using any of the methods discussed above that is deposited to aheight of about 0.5 to 5 μm, depending on the beam spring constant andoxide to metal thickness ratio requirements. In one exemplaryembodiment, insulator material is 400 ° C. PECVD 2 μm oxide and has awell controlled residual stress and thickness. In embodiments, taperedvias 42 are formed in the insulator material 40, to expose portions ofthe underlying electrode 38 in a fashion similar to the vias 36 formedpreviously. Alternatively, tungsten stud vias could be fabricated, atthe price of degrading the thickness variability of layer 40 due tovariable CMP erosion of the insulator layer 40. Variation in theinsulator layer 40 thickness or residual stress results in springconstant and stress gradient variability in the overall MEMS beam, whichcan negatively affect the beam curvature and bending.

As shown in FIG. 14, an upper electrode 44 is formed and patterned overthe insulator layer 40, and also deposited within the vias 42 to contactthe lower electrode 38. In embodiments, the upper electrode 44 is formedfrom the same materials as the lower electrode 38; in one exemplaryembodiment, uppers electrode 38 and 44 are composed of Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN.For tungsten stud vias, the prior art teaches that the uppermost TiNlayer should be left on the wires post via etch. For the tapered viasused with these MEMS structures, it may be desirable to fully remove theTiN layer prior to depositing the electrode 38 and 44 metal, i.e.,Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN, by either etching it using a TiN RIE chemistry, sputterit using an argon sputter, or a combination of both to eliminate thepotential for via resistance high flyers. In embodiments, the metalvolume of the electrodes 38 and 44 should be the same or substantiallythe same in order to balance the overall volume and stress of thedevice, and hence not place undue stresses on the beams of the MEMstructures. The metal volume is determined by both the metal thicknessand the layout. If identical layouts are used for electrodes 38 and 44,then they would have the same volume if their thicknesses were the same.If a slotted or holed layout was used for the lower electrode 38, thenthe upper electrode would need to be thinned to match the metal volume.In embodiments, the thickness of the lower or upper electrode 44 can beincreased or decreased to intentionally place a stress gradient into thebeam, which can cause the beam to deflect up or down post release; or tochange the beam bending induced by changing temperature, as discussedbelow. The preceeding discussion assumes that the electrodes 38 and 44are composed of a single, identical metal film. In reality, as discussedabove, the electrodes are composed of multiple layers of metal, eachwith different thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) and other mechanicalproperties and, if the layout or thickness is varied, it is nearlyimpossible to exactly match their mechanical properties. If the AlCuportion of the electrodes 38 and 44 is much thicker than the refractoryand other metal components, then, to first order, the CTE and othermechanical properties can be approximated by those of the AlCu film.

Alternatively, if the layout of the upper and lower electrodes 38 and 44are asymmetric or different, then the thickness of the electrode with alower pattern factor (i.e., less metal) could be thickened to balancethe metal volume. One example of an asymmetric upper and lower electrodeis shown in FIG. 28. In this representation, there are diamond (or otherpatterned shapes) shaped shapes removed from the lower MEMS electrode200, which are placed to decrease the likelihood of metal hillocksforming. Because the area of lower MEMS electrode 200 is less than thearea of upper MEMS electrode 210, the volume of metal in each electrodewould be out of balance if the metal thickness for electrodes 200 and210 were identical. Balancing the metal volume of the lower and upperelectrodes is important for both cantilever and bridge MEMS beamsbecause the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the beam metal,e.g., aluminum, is much greater than the CTE of SiO₂.

In embodiments, MEMS electrodes with different areas could be partiallybalanced. For example, if the lower MEMS beam electrode had 80% lessarea than the upper MEMS beam electrode, the lower electrode could bethickened by 10% to partially rebalance the metal volume in the twoelectrodes. Intentionally unbalancing the metal volume in the two MEMSelectrodes can cause MEMS beam bending post release or venting whichacts to bend the beam up or down into a desirable position; or canminimize the MEMS beam bending over operational use temperature, e.g.,−55° C. to 125° C. or any normal range of packaged chip operationaltemperatures, as discussed below. The MEMS cavity actuation gap isincreased or decreased as the MEMS beam bends up or down; and thecurvature of the beam, which can reduce the contact area and decreasethe capacitance, can change as the MEMS beam expands or contracts withchanging temperature. Minimizing the MEMS beam bending over operationalchip temperatures is desirable because the actuation voltage is inverseproportional to the MEMS cavity gap.

When the vented MEMS beam movement is constrained by the lid, eitherbecause of the lid rivet AA or because the lid is bonded to the lid BB(see, FIG. 31), the MEMS beam will not actuate as expected and will bepartially or completely non-functional. The regressive lid oxide profileshown in FIG. 16 has the largest regressive extent in the corners of thevias 42 and 48. To reduce this, the vias inside the MEMS cavity 42 and48 corners can be rounded or chamfered, as shown in FIG. 32, whichreduces the likelihood that the lid oxide will pin the MEMS beam. FIG.30 e shows a non-regressive silicon deposition with tapered side wallprofiles for the upper silicon cavity. This conformal silicon depositionprocess can be obtained, for example, by performing multiple PVD silicondeposition and rf biased wafer etchback steps preferably in-site, i.e.in the same chamber, or ex-situ, i.e., transferring between a depositionand etch back chamber, during the silicon deposition to achieve anapproximate 45 degree angled silicon deposition profile. Once the 45degree angle is achieved, e.g., after about 0.3 μm of net depositionover a 0.3 μm tall feature (FIG. 3) or after about 1 μm of netdeposition over a much deep feature (FIG. 16), the balance of thedeposition can consist either of a normal, unbiased, silicon film or acombination of thicker unbiased silicon films with less frequent etchback steps, which may be needed to eliminate an oxidized seam in thesilicon due to underlying topography. The goal of these silicondeposition/etch back processes is to both eliminate a regressiveoverhang structure and also to reduce or eliminate a seam in thedeposited silicon due to incoming topography (FIG. 35 a). (This iscompared to FIG. 35 b which shows an oxide seam to the corner of theMEMs structure.) This non-regressive PVD silicon deposition processcombines lower chamber pressure deposition for bottom and sidewalldeposition, and uses higher chamber pressure etching, where a rf bias isapplied to the wafer, to maximize top surface and corner etching. Thesesteps of low pressure deposition and high pressure etchback are repeatedsequentially until a desired thickness is achieved. In one exemplaryembodiment, the lower pressure deposition, e.g., <6 MTorr, and highpressure, e.g. >10 mTorr, etchback step thickness values are on theorder of 10-50 nm for deposition and 5-25 nm for etching, e.g., theetchbacked silicon removal is less than the deposited thickness, and, asmentioned below, the first silicon layer thickness may be increased to,for example, 50 or 100 nm, to avoid sputtering into the corners offeatures. In addition, this sequence allows for increased film densityon the sidewall and tapered surfaces. The surface area of the Si is thenminimized, reducing the amount of surface oxidation. Alternatively, asimultaneous PVD silicon deposition and etchback process could beemployed, where the sputtering target is biased to sputter the siliconand the wafer is biased to create 45 degree sidewall angles. This iscritical to achieve stable venting performance of the Si as anyoxidation reduces the venting rate of the Si cavity.

The desired 45 degree corner angle is obtained by the repeated argonsputter etch back step and, after it is obtained, the silicon depositionprocess could revert back to a normal deposition process without argonsputter steps. This biased silicon deposition process could also beapplied to the lower silicon cavity layer 18 to eliminate voids andseams in the silicon. Care should be taken when sputter etching thesilicon during the initial film deposition step to avoid sputteringinsulator or other materials from the corners of features. The corner405 in FIG. 30 e could be chamfered to 45 degrees by this in-situ orex-situ sputtering method, resulting in redeposition of oxide layer 46into the silicon with resultant difficulty in silicon venting due to thepresence of SiO₂ in the silicon. To avoid sputtering the exposed cornersduring the initial silicon deposition, an initial unbiased siliconlayer, e.g. 50 or 100 nm, can be deposited.

As the released MEMS beam is heated or cooled, it will bend upwards ordownwards due to the electrode with the greater volume of metalexpanding or contracting more than the electrode with the lesser volumeof metal. FIG. 29 and Table 2 quantitatively show MEMS bridge beambending versus temperature for beams using the layout shown in FIG. 28.As mentioned above, the MEMS beam bends because of the CTE mismatchbetween the oxide and metal in the beam. The dominant metal in the beam,e.g. aluminum, has a yield stress temperature of 150-250° C. The yieldstress temperature occurs when the residual stress in the aluminum nolonger changes with temperature, as known in the art. At the yieldstress temperature, the bending can either flatten out or, moretypically, reverse direction (FIG. 29 curve B or E). MEMS bridge beamswith balanced metal volume have minimal bending vs. temperature; beamswith more upper electrode volume bend upwards with increasingtemperature; beams with greater lower electrode volume bend downwardsvs. temperature. Note that, if the MEMS bridge beam bending is largeenough, the beam will be constrained by the lid over the MEMS beam orthe fixed electrode under the MEMS beam (FIG. 29 curves A or F). Themost desirable MEMS beam bending vs. temperature behavior is one wherethe total bending is minimized, for reasons discussed above. This may beachieved using MEMS beam thicknesses such that the MEMS bending profileinitially bends upwards and then bends downwards over the temperaturerange of interest, i.e. FIG. 29 curve C; or vica versa. Achieving a MEMSbeam bending curve like this may require intentionally unbalancing thelower and upper electrode volume.

In one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the lower electrode 38 toupper electrode 44 pattern factor is 0.8:1; the beam oxide is 2 μmthick, the lower electrode has total thickness of 0.56 μm with unreactedAlCu thickness of 450 nm, and the lower electrode has total thickness of0.48 μm with unreacted AlCu thickness of 370 nm. This combinationresults in electrodes 38 and 44 with unbalanced volume, i.e., the volumeratio of electrodes 38 and 44 is 0.93:1 and minimized beam bending vs.temperature, over the temperature range of interest qualitativelysimilar to curve C in FIG. 29.

TABLE 2 Lower:Upper electrode thickness ratio (lower electrode is 20%less Bending at than upper electrode metal yield Curve layout area)stress point Comment A 1:1.5 +3 um Upwards bending constrained by lid B1:1  +2.2 um C 1:0.9 +0.8 um D 1:0.8 −0.1 um E 1:0.7 −1.0 um F 1:0.5 −2um Lower bending constrained by lower fixed electrode

This MEMS beam bending post release can cause two problems, as mentionedabove:

-   a. during normal chip operation, e.g., from about −55° C. to 125°    C., MEMS beam bending will increase or decrease the actuation gap    resulting in a corresponding change in the actuation voltage; and-   b. if the released MEMS beam is heated to high temperatures    (e.g., >150° C., e.g. 400° C.), which is likely due to normal    processing after the sacrificial material is vented or removed, then    the released MEMS beam will bend upwards, downwards, or both due to    thermal expansion mismatch between the upper and lower MEMS beam    electrodes and the beam oxide and, if the bending is large enough,    be constrained by the lid over the MEMS beam or the fixed electrode    under the MEMS beam. Constraining the MEMS beam during annealing can    ‘freeze in’ an undesirable curvature, resulting in a MEMS beam that    is curved (i.e., not flat). A curved MEMS beam will have reduced    contact area, resulting in reduced capacitance. Additionally, if the    force exerted by the MEMS beam pressing against either the fixed    electrode under the beam or the lid over the beam is too high, then    either the MEMS beam or the lid can crack, resulting in catastrophic    failure of the MEMS device.

In FIG. 15, an insulator material 46 is deposited on the upper electrode44 and exposed portions of the insulator material 40. In embodiments,the insulator material 46 is deposited to a thickness of about 80 nm;although other dimensions are also contemplated by the presentinvention. To balance the MEMS beam, insulator material 46 over the MEMSbeam should be substantially the same thickness as insulator material 34under the MEMS beam. This thickness balancing of layers 34 and 46 shouldinclude any additional dielectric deposition on layer 46 that occursduring the subsequent vent hole dielectric deposition sealing step. Acavity via 48 is formed through the insulator materials, 34, 40 and 46to the underlying layer 18 by patterning and etching through theinsulators. In embodiments, any unwanted oxide, such as a native oxidewhich is formed by exposing the silicon 18 to air, on the silicon can becleaned using, for example, an HF acid, prior to the subsequent silicondeposition. It is desirable but not required that the sidewall angle ofthe cavity via 48 be tapered, to improve the subsequent silicondeposition sidewall coverage and reduce the seam or void in the silicon.

In FIG. 16, silicon layer 50 is deposited on the structure of FIG. 15.In embodiments, the silicon layer 50 can be deposited to a thickness ofabout 4 μm; although other dimensions are also contemplated by thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 16, the silicon layer 50 isdeposited such that the topography of the silicon layer 50 changes inaccordance with the underlying features. The silicon layer 50 can leavea regressive profile over the vias 42 and 48. During the subsequentoxide deposition, the oxide can fill the regressive structures in arivet-like fashion so that there is a rivet-shaped oxide peg over thevias 42 and 48. This riveted-shaped oxide feature in the lid can pin theMEMS beam post release. To avoid this MEMS beam pinning, either thesilicon layer 50 deposition process needs to be optimized to avoid thisshape (FIG. 30 e); or a thick enough silicon 50 layer to pinch off orpartially pinch off the via 42 and 48 openings is needed (FIG. 30 d); asilicon deposition, CMP, and subsequent silicon deposition is neededsimilar to the one discussed for silicon layer 18 previously, or acombination of the above. Also, as shown in FIG. 16, the silicon layer50 makes contact with the underlying layer 18 through the via 48. Inembodiments, due to the HF acid cleaning, there will be no oxide betweenthe two layers of silicon (e.g., layer 18 and layer 50). In optionalembodiments, the silicon layer 50 has a 3 micron initial thickness,undergoes a 1 micron CMP removal, and has a second silicon deposition toachieve the 4 μm thickness.

In an optional embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the silicon layer 50 canundergo an optional lithographic and RIE process using a reverse mask,similar to that discussed above. This reverse mask would placephotoresist over the vias 42 and 48 so that, when the silicon 50 wasetched back using a RIE or wet chemical silicon etch process andsubsequent resist stripping and cleaning, the topography would bereduced incoming to a subsequent CMP step. The reverse mask shapes needto fully cover the vias 42 and 48 openings, so that trenches would notbe etched along their sidewalls, as previously discussed regarding FIG.6.

FIG. 18 a shows the patterning and etching of the silicon layer 50 usingmethods similar to those discussed previously in regards to FIG. 3. InFIG. 18 a, the silicon layer 50 undergoes a CMP process to planarize orpartially planarize the silicon surface, and thereafter a cleaning. Asmentioned previously, any silicon polish process can be used and, if aprocess with low or no selectivity to SiO2 is used, then the likelihoodof point defects on the silicon surface is eliminated. In thisembodiment, the silicon layer 50 will be patterned such that the siliconlayer 50 remains within the previously formed via 48 and formed trenches46. In embodiments, the silicon layer 50 can be planarized using aconventional CMP process with or without a reverse mask patterning andetching process. For either the CMP-only or reverse mask etchbackfollowed by CMP, an optional second silicon deposition, preceded by a HFclean, could be performed. Alternatively, the silicon layer 50deposition can be optimized so that it conformally fills the vias 42 and48; or it pinches off the vias 42 and 48, as discussed above and below.This will ensure that the subsequent lid layer, 54, will not extend intoa rivet-like feature formed over vias 42 and 48, which can potentiallycause rubbing against a MEMS beam, as discussed above. Also, inembodiments, this process will also advantageously result in a planar orsubstantially planer cavity structure (e.g., flat or planar surfaces) insubsequent processing steps.

The optional step of FIG. 17 can assist with the subsequentetching/planarization of the silicon layer 50. Note that any CMP orother planarization of the silicon layer 50 cannot completely planarizeall features on the wafer if an optical wavelength is used forsubsequent lithographic alignment. To avoid complete planarization, thevias 42 and 48 could be stacked in areas outside the functionalintegrated circuit so that, even if the silicon was planarized over thevias 42 and 48, it would not be planarized over stacked 42 and 48 viastructures.

As shown in FIG. 19 a, the oxide material 52 can be planarized such thatoxide is left over silicon layer 50 (FIG. 19 a), or can be planar withthe underlying silicon layer 50, similar to what was previously shown inFIG. 8. Whether or not the oxide layer 52 is planarized back to thesurface of silicon layer 50, additional dielectric may need to bedeposited to form the required oxide lid thickness over the MEMS cavity,as discussed below. Alternatively, the oxide layer 52 can be partiallyplanarized, as shown in FIG. 19 b; or left unplanarized. As an optionalstep much like shown in FIG. 9 a, the oxide material can be deposited toa thickness of about 5 μm, compared to the 2.3 μm, with a Si layer, forexample, deposited on the thick oxide material. The Si layer (andportions of the oxide material 52) are planarized using conventionalprocesses such as, for example, CMP. The oxide material 52 depositionprocess should sufficiently fill the wire level 44 spaces such thatvoids in the oxide do not intersect the CMP planarized oxide surface by,for example, deposition the initial oxide film with HDPCVD oxide to fillthe spaces, deposition/etch/deposition oxide, or PECVD TEOS-based oxide,either for the initial oxide deposition or the entire film. With all ofthese embodiments, the reverse pattern etch back step shown in FIG. 18 ais optional.

If silicon layer 50 was not fully planarized, as shown in FIG. 16, thenthe oxide layer 52 surface will follow the surface topography of siliconlayer 50, as shown in FIG. 19 c. With the incoming topography shown inFIG. 19 c, the oxide CMP step, with or without the reverse damasceneetch back step, could not fully planarize the surface of oxide layer 52due to the presence of vias 42 and 48, with a resulting profile shown inFIG. 19 d. Note that the surface profile shown in FIG. 19 d could alsohave the global profile shown in FIG. 19 b superimposed on it.

Alternatively, if the optional oxide etch back step etched down to thesilicon surface of silicon layer 50, then the oxide over the vias 42 and48 would extend below the surface of silicon layer 50. This topographyover vias 42 and 48 could result in trenches in the final diced wafersurface, which could cause chip reliability problems due, for example,to water collection in the trenches during humidity-pressure stressingof the packaged chips. To avoid this problem, the oxide layer 52 couldbe deposited to a thickness such that the openings over vias 42 and 48pinch off; or the oxide layer 52 could be planarized such that the finalsurface is planer as in FIG. 19 a.

Alternatively, the reverse pattern etchback mask could be modified suchthat mask openings are removed in areas around the vias 42 and 48. FIG.19 e shows a top view of cavity 50, via 42, and via 48. If a reversepattern etchback process was used with the vias 42 and 48 blocked (FIG.19 f), then the oxide would not be etched around vias 42 and 48 (FIG. 19g) and it would be easier to planarize or substantially planarize thesurface of the oxide layer 52. The optional oxide CMP processes used toplanarize or partially planarize oxide layer 52 can scratch the surface.An example of a surface scratch RR is shown in FIG. 19 h. These surfacescratches can act as crack nucleation points after the MEMS sacrificialcavity layers 18 and 50 are vented or removed. To eliminate thisproblem, an optional second dielectric or oxide deposition is performed,to deposit the layer 400 shown in FIG. 19 h.

In FIG. 20, an oxide material 54, which determines the lid thicknessbefore silicon venting, is shown on the surface. The oxide material 54can have a thickness before venting of about 3 μm, for example. If theoxide layer 52 had not been removed or fully removed over silicon layer50, then the total oxide thickness of layers 52 and 54 would determinethe lid thickness before silicon venting. In embodiments, a vent hole 58is patterned, and opened in the oxide lid, exposing a portion of theunderlying silicon layer 50. It should be understood that more than onevent hole 58 can be formed in the oxide material 54. The vent hole 58can be formed using conventional lithographic and etching processesknown to those of skill in the art. All of the patterned featuresdiscussed in this disclosure are patterned using conventional, e.g.steppers or proximity, lithographic tooling using photomasks, as knownin the art. With conventional lithography, extra features on the masksare included to measure feature size, i.e. line width, as well asregistration or overlay between the feature currently being imaged andprior level features on the wafer. These extra features are commonlyplaced in the dicing channel between the active chips, although they canalso be placed inside the chips; or active chip features can be used. Tomatch the printed feature to active features inside the active chip, itis important but not required that the prior level features areduplicated. For example, for the vent hole 58, if a structure outside ofthe active chip is used for measuring feature size or overlay, it shouldbe stacked over the upper silicon cavity 50 and, optionally, the otherwires inside the cavity, so that the height off of the wafer and theoptical properties (i.e. reflection) of the measured feature are thesame as inside the active chip. This is especially important for thevent hole 58 because it has a relatively small width and, depending onthe processing used to planarize the upper cavity, the upper cavity canextend 1 μm or more above the surrounding wafer surface, which can causeproblems with resist scumming of vent hole 58 printed over the cavity ifthe vent hole resist width is measured outside of the cavity.

The width and height of the vent hole 58 determines the amount ofmaterial that should be deposited after silicon venting to pinch off thevent hole. In general, the amount of material that should be depositedto pinch off the vent hole 58 decreases as the vent hole widthdecreases; and as the vent hole aspect ratio, which is the ratio of thevent hole height to width, increases. In embodiments, a 3 μm thick preventing lid would have a 1 μm diameter. In embodiments, the structure,and in particular, the exposed underlying silicon layer 50, can becleaned with an HF solution prior to venting the silicon. If the ventholes 58 have too high of an aspect ratio or if there are too few ventholes, then it is difficult to vent out the sacrificial cavity material18 and 50. The vent hole may be circular or nearly circular, to minimizethe amount of subsequent material needed to pinch it off. In oneexemplary embodiment, the vent hold is shaped in an octagon, whichminimized the computational requirement as discussed above.

If the lid is too thin with respect to the MEMS cavity area, either postventing or during any subsequent film deposition, the lid over theevacuated or vented cavities can crack or delaminate due to high filmstresses or due to MEMS beam bending up against the lid duringannealing. For example, a silicon cavity 500 μm by 500 μm capped with a1 μm oxide lid would be susceptible to cracking or delaminating afterventing or after the subsequent sealing film depositions due to theresidual stress of the lid oxide or the sealing films; or because thereleased MEMS beam pushes up against the lid during annealing. In oneexemplary embodiment, approximately 1 micron of oxide lid is requiredper 10,000 μm² of cavity area to avoid lid cracking after venting.

In FIG. 21 a, the silicon layers 50 and 18 are vented or stripped by wayof the vent hole 58. In embodiments, the stripping (e.g., etching) canbe performed using a XeF₂ etchant through the vent hole 58. The etchingwill strip all of the material (silicon), forming an upper cavity orchamber 60 a and a lower cavity or chamber 60 b, and is selective tomany other materials, including SiO₂. As shown in this representation,the upper cavity 60 a and the lower cavity 60 b have planar or nearlyplaner walls, due to the previous etching steps of the silicon layers18, 50. An optional HF clean can be performed to remove the native oxideand hydrogen passive the exposed silicon surface prior to venting thesilicon.

As shown in FIGS. 21 b and 21 c, the vent holes 58 can be formed atseveral locations, to portions (expose portions) of the upper siliconlayer 50, the lower layer 18 or both the upper and lower silicon layer50, 18. For example, as shown in FIG. 21 b, the vent holes are formedboth inside and outside the cavity vias 48. The vent holes 58 should beeither round or nearly round, to minimize the amount of insulator neededto pinch them off post venting. Octagon shapes can be used instead ofcircles to draw the vent vias, to minimize the computational workloadneed to process the design data, as discussed above. In this embodiment,the etch rate of the silicon layer 50 in the upper portion 59 a willetch faster than the silicon layer 18 in the lower portion 59 b, thusensuring that no undue stress is placed on the lower portion 59 b, asshown in FIG. 21 d. (The upper portion 59 a and lower portion 59 b willform the upper cavity and lower cavity of the MEMS structure.)

FIGS. 21 d and 21 e show more detailed cross sectional views of FIGS. 21b and 21 c. As shown in FIG. 21 d, the vent holes 58 are formed toportions of both the upper and lower silicon layers 50, 18. In thisembodiment, as seen in FIG. 21 d, the lower layer 18 will actuallysupport the upper portion 59 a, since it etches at a slower rate. InFIG. 21 e, the vent holes 58 can be formed at several locations, butmainly to (expose) the layer 18. In this embodiment, the etch rate ofthe layer 18 in the lower portion 59 b is faster than the silicon layer50 in the upper portion 59 b, resulting in the possibility of addedstress on a MEMS beam 60 (e.g., the MEMS beam 60 may partially or whollyrip or tear out).

If the vent hole layout is such that the lower cavity 18 vents fasterthan upper cavity 50, for example by placing the vent holes outside ofthe vias (cavity vias) 48 as shown in FIG. 21 c, then the lower cavitymay vent before the upper cavity. This can cause stress-related crackingproblems, as shown in FIG. 21 c. When the lower cavity layer 18 isalmost fully vented but still extends the full height of the cavity andthe upper cavity silicon layer 50 is not fully vented and does extend tothe full height of the upper cavity, then stress due to lid and beamupwards bending can rip out oxide 60 from the lower cavity as shown inFIG. 21 c. For these reasons, it is desirable to place vent holes overthe upper cavity such that the upper cavity vents before the lowercavity.

A chamfered lower cavity A and upper B cavity corner 405 is shown inFIG. 21 f (also see, e.g., FIG. 21 b). Chamfering the cavity corner canreduce the stress after silicon venting, resulting in reduced chance ofdielectric film cracking due to temperature cycling or other stresses. A45 degree chamfer 405 is shown; although any chamfer angle isenvisioned, including a rounded corner (also represented by referencenumeral 405). As mentioned previously, chamfering as opposed to roundingcorners reduces the computational complexity associated with verifyingthat the layout does not violate the minimum line and space rules. Thevias 42 and 48 inside the cavity can also be chamfered, as discussedbelow. In FIG. 21 c, the vent holes 58 can be formed at severallocations, exposing the lower layer 18. In this embodiment, the etchrate of the layer 18 in the lower portion 59 b will be faster than thesilicon layer 50 in the upper portion 59 b. The corner of any of thewire levels can also be chamfered, 14, 38, 44, as shown in FIG. 22 toreduce overall stress.

As shown in FIG. 22, the vent hole 58 can be sealed with a material 62,such as a dielectric or metal. If the sealing material 62 deposits afilm inside the cavity on the beam, than it can potentially unbalancethe stress of the MEMS beam, and also bond the lid to the beam inregions around vias, as discussed herein and shown by 250 in FIG. 31. Toavoid this problem, in embodiments in which the vent sealing materialdeposits inside the cavity, the vent holes should be placed far enoughaway from the vias, e.g., greater than 1 micron or, in an exemplaryembodiment, greater than 5 microns, so that released MEMS beam is notbonded to the lid by the vent sealing deposition. Alternatively, thevent holes can be placed in cavity areas away from the MEMS beam, sothat no vent hole sealing material is deposited on the released MEMSbeam. Optional layer 64 is deposited next to provide a hermetic seal.The layer 64 could be, for example, a 500 nm PECVD silicon nitride filmor other films known to provide a hermetic seal over oxide layer 62.

In FIG. 23 a, a final via 66 is opened in the structure of FIG. 22. Inembodiments, the via 66 exposes the underlying electrode 44. Inembodiments, the via 66 is formed using conventional lithographic andetching processes. In further embodiments, prior to forming the via, anoptional polyimide layer 68, for example, can be deposited on thenitride capping layer 64. A problem with forming this final via is itsheight, which can be in the range of 6-12 μm, due to the planarizationof the upper silicon cavity. Long dielectric RIE steps cause problemsfor RIE tools, due to chamber over heating or other issues; or simplybecause they have low parts per hour process times and are expensive.

FIGS. 23 b and 23 c show alternative processes for forming the via. Forexample, a partial via 66 a can be formed at the same time as the venthole 58. After formation of the vent hole 58 (and subsequent cleaning ofthe of the silicon layer 50, 18) the vent hole 58 can be sealed with adielectric material 62 and a nitride cap 64. This option, in which thefinal via 66 is formed by using two separate patterning and etchingsteps, reduces the amount of total etch time needed to fabricate theMEMS device and also tapers the angle of the final via, thus improvingthe Pb-free bumping gap fill. In embodiments, an optional polyimide orother polymer coating as known in the art material 68 can be depositedon the nitride cap 64. The dielectric material, 62, nitride cap 64 andpolyimide material 68 would also be formed in the partial via 66 a. Theremaining portion of the via 66 b can then be formed by etching throughthe dielectric material, 62, nitride cap 64 and optional polyimidematerial 68 to the underlying electrode 44. As noted in thisrepresentation, the partial via 66 a has a larger cross section than thevia 66 b. For example, the via 66 a can be about 60 microns across(e.g., diameter); whereas, the via 66 b has a smaller dimension, e.g.,54 microns. Also, the total height of the via (formed from via 66 a and66 b) can be about 9 microns. In embodiments, the optional polyimide isopening is smaller than the oxide opening, e.g., 48 microns, to coverthe corners of the oxide/nitride interface at the wire corner.

FIGS. 24 a-24 f show various top views of the structures fabricated inaccordance with the invention. FIGS. 24 a-24 c show different crosssectional views of a first structure in accordance with the invention;whereas, FIGS. 24 d-24 f shows different cross sectional views of asecond structure in accordance with the invention. More specifically,FIG. 24 a shows a top view of cantilever beam structure having an uppercavity 200 a and a lower cavity 200 b. A cavity via 210 extends betweenthe upper cavity 200 a and the lower cavity 200 b. In embodiments, thecavity via 210 is a “U” or “| |” shaped via, although other shapes arealso contemplated by the present invention. The width of the cavity via210 can be, for example, about 0.1 to 100 microns, whereas, a length ofthe via is about 1 to 1000 microns. In one exemplary embodiment, thecavity via 210 is 4 microns wide and 100 microns long. As discussed, anarrow cavity via, e.g. 2 μm wide, will pinch off during the uppersilicon cavity deposition if it is thick enough, e.g. 5 μm, whichreduces the extension of the lid oxide into the via.

Upper and lower cavities 200 a and 200 b, as previously describedherein, can either be the same size or different sizes. The CMPprocessing used to form the planer lower cavity, show as 200 b, cancause surface curvature on the cavity edge. To avoid this surfacecurvature from curving the bottom of the MEMS beam, the cavity via 48should be placed so that the inside edge is beyond the curvature and isover the flat portion of the lower cavity.

FIG. 24 b also shows the cavity via 210 extending between the uppercavity 200 a and the lower cavity 200 b. In addition, FIG. 24 b showsfirst and second actuators 215, in parallel. A capacitor head 220 isprovided in relation to the first and second actuators 215, which may bea lower fixed capacitor plate in accordance with aspects of theinvention. These wires, i.e., 215 and 220, are formed with layer 14 asshown in FIG. 22. Those of skill in the art should recognize that thefirst and second actuators (electrodes) 215 can be the electrical wires,described above. The first and second actuators (electrodes) 215 uponactuation, i.e., application of sufficient dc voltage, will causebending of a MEMS beam.

FIG. 24 c shows the cavity via 210 extending between the upper cavity200 a and the lower cavity 200 b. In addition, FIG. 24 c shows first andsecond actuators 215 a, in parallel. A capacitor arm and head 220 a isprovided in relation to the first and second actuators 215 a, which maybe a lower fixed capacitor plate in accordance with aspects of theinvention. The capacitor arm and head 220 a extends from the edge of thecavity to the capacitor head, between the first and second actuators 215a. The MEMS capacitor is formed where element 220, in FIG. 24 b,intersects element 220 a, in FIG. 24 c. Actuators 215 a and capacitorarm and head 220 a in FIG. 24 c are composed of the wires 38 and 44 inFIG. 22, and, as shown, are connected by the vias 228 discussed below.

In addition, FIG. 24 c shows electrical vias 228, which are connected tothe lower and upper wire of the cantilever beam. The electrical vias 228can also be connected to the capacitor arm 220 a, extending between theactuators 215 a. These vias are shown as 42 in FIG. 22.

Oxide pegs 225 are provided under the beam, and can extend to thecapacitor arm 220 a, as well as the actuators 215 a. These oxide pegs225 could also be above the actuators 215 in FIG. 21 b. FIG. 24 c alsoshows oxide pegs 225 under the beam. These oxide pegs are element 33 inFIG. 22. In operation, electrodes 215 a upon actuation, will causebending of a MEMS beam. In normal MEMS operation, an actuation voltageis applied between actuators 215 and 215 a. For example, actuator 215could be grounded and 50V could be applied to actuator 215 a; −25V couldbe applied to actuator 215 and 25V could be applied to actuator 215 a;50V could be applied to actuator 215 and actuator 215 a could begrounded; etc. These MEMS layouts have four separate inputs: lowercapacitor input, upper capacitor output, lower actuator, and upperactuator. These four electrodes could be combined, as known in the art.For example, the upper actuator 215 a and capacitor 220 a could consistof a single connected wire; the lower actuator 215 and lower capacitor220 electrode could consist of a single wire; or both. For these simpler2 or 3 input devices, ac signal and dc actuation would need to bedecoupled by, for example, using inductors wired to ground or dcvoltages on the electrodes.

FIGS. 24 d-24 f show different cross sectional views of a secondstructure in accordance with the invention. More specifically, FIG. 24 dshows a top view of cantilever beam structure having an upper cavity 300a and a lower cavity 300 b. A cavity via 310 extends between the uppercavity 300 a and the lower cavity 300 b. In embodiments, the cavity via310 comprises parallel strips, although other shapes are alsocontemplated by the present invention. The width of the cavity via 310can be, for example, about 0.1 to 100 microns, whereas, a length of thevia is about 1 to 1000 microns. In one exemplary embodiment, the via 310is 4 microns wide and 100 microns long.

FIG. 24 e also shows the cavity via 310 extending between the uppercavity 300 a and the lower cavity 300 b. In addition, FIG. 24 e showsfirst, second and third actuators 315. In embodiments, the first andsecond actuators are in parallel and the third actuator is a loweractuator. A capacitor head 320 is between the first and secondactuators, and the third (lower) actuator. The capacitor head 320 may bea lower fixed capacitor plate in accordance with aspects of theinvention. These wires, i.e., 315 and 320, are formed with layer 14 asshown in FIG. 22. Those of skill in the art should recognize that thefirst, second and third actuators (electrodes) 315 can be the electricalwires, described above. The first, second and third actuators 315, uponactuation, will cause bending of a MEMS beam.

FIG. 24 f shows the cavity via 310 extending between the upper cavity300 a and the lower cavity 300 b. In addition, FIG. 24 f shows first,second and third actuators (electrodes) 315 a. A is provided in relationto the first, second and third actuators (electrodes) 315 a. Thecapacitor head and arm 320 a extends between the first and secondactuators 315 a. Actuators 315 a and capacitor arm and head 320 a inFIG. 24 f are composed of the wires 38 and 44 in FIG. 22.

In addition, FIG. 24 f shows electrical vias 328, which are connected tothe lower and upper wire of the cantilever beam. The electrical vias 328can also be connected to the capacitor arm 320 a. Oxide pegs 325 areprovided under the beam, and can extend to the capacitor arm 320 a, aswell as the lower actuator 315 c. In operation, the first, second andthird actuators (electrodes) 315, upon actuation, will cause bending ofa MEMS beam. More specifically, the lower actuator will apply thevoltage to the actuators (electrodes).

In both cases the MEMS beam includes metal/insulator/metal with an addedthin insulator layer under and over the stack if the MEMS device is acapacitor. One exemplary embodiment would use 0.5 micron lower and uppermetal thickness and 2 micron insulator thickness with 80 nm insulatorlayer over and under the beam if the device was a capacitor. Inaddition, the actuators 215, (FIGS. 24 a-24 c) or actuators 315 (FIGS.24 d-24 f) would be connected to ground, so that, when the actuationvoltage is applied to the actuators, the MEMS beam would actuate andbend down, as known in the art. Alternatively, the actuation voltagecould be applied to the actuation electrodes in FIGS. 24 c and 24 f andthe actuators in FIGS. 24 b and 24 c would be grounded. In anotherembodiment, the actuators and capacitor would be connected together andwould need to be grounded using a dc ground, such as an inductor.

FIGS. 30 a-30 e show the upper cavity silicon 50 surface topographyafter a non-conformal silicon deposition step has been performed thathas not pinched off the openings due to the electrical via 42 and cavityvia 48. An unbiased PVD silicon deposition would form a ‘bread loaf’profile, as shown in FIG. 30 a, as known in the art. FIGS. 30 a-30 ealso show the oxide pegs 16 a. The silicon layer 50 regressively, i.e.,with an undercut, covers the sidewalls of the vias and, when a MEMScavity lid material, such as SiO₂ is deposited, the lid material willfill the regressive opening above the vias 42 and 48, as discussedpreviously. This regressive lid formation, which is shown after the lidformation, silicon venting, and cavity sealing steps in FIG. 16, can pinthe lid to the beam in a rivot-like fashion if the beam bends upwardsafter venting where the rivet-shaped feature (250) in the lid rubsagainst the beam and/or bond the rivet-like lid structure to the beam(255) (See, e.g., FIG. 31.)

In FIGS. 31-33 and 35 an oxide material 54, which determines the lidthickness before silicon venting, is shown on the surface. Inembodiments, vent holes 58 are opened in the oxide lid, exposing aportion of the underlying silicon layer 50. It should be understood thatmore than one vent hole 58 can be formed in the oxide material 54. Thevent holes 58 can be formed using conventional lithographic and etchingprocesses known to those of skill in the art. The width and height ofthe vent holes 58 determine the amount of material that should bedeposited after silicon venting to pinch off the vent hole, as discussedin more detail below. The vent holes 58 can be sealed with a material62, such as a dielectric or metal, as discussed above.

FIG. 34 is a flow diagram of a design process used in semiconductordesign, manufacture, and/or test. FIG. 34 shows a block diagram of anexemplary design flow 900 used for example, in semiconductor IC logicdesign, simulation, test, layout, and manufacture. Design flow 900includes processes, machines and/or mechanisms for processing designstructures or devices to generate logically or otherwise functionallyequivalent representations of the design structures and/or devicesdescribed above and shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35. The design structuresprocessed and/or generated by design flow 900 may be encoded onmachine-readable transmission or storage media to include data and/orinstructions that when executed or otherwise processed on a dataprocessing system generate a logically, structurally, mechanically, orotherwise functionally equivalent representation of hardware components,circuits, devices, or systems. Machines include, but are not limited to,any machine used in an IC design process, such as designing,manufacturing, or simulating a circuit, component, device, or system.For example, machines may include: lithography machines, machines and/orequipment for generating masks (e.g. e-beam writers), computers orequipment for simulating design structures, any apparatus used in themanufacturing or test process, or any machines for programmingfunctionally equivalent representations of the design structures intoany medium (e.g. a machine for programming a programmable gate array).

Design flow 900 may vary depending on the type of representation beingdesigned. For example, a design flow 900 for building an applicationspecific IC (ASIC) may differ from a design flow 900 for designing astandard component or from a design flow 900 for instantiating thedesign into a programmable array, for example a programmable gate array(PGA) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) offered by Altera® Inc.or Xilinx® Inc.

FIG. 34 illustrates multiple such design structures including an inputdesign structure 920 that is preferably processed by a design process910. Design structure 920 may be a logical simulation design structuregenerated and processed by design process 910 to produce a logicallyequivalent functional representation of a hardware device. Designstructure 920 may also or alternatively comprise data and/or programinstructions that when processed by design process 910, generate afunctional representation of the physical structure of a hardwaredevice. Whether representing functional and/or structural designfeatures, design structure 920 may be generated using electroniccomputer-aided design (ECAD) such as implemented by a coredeveloper/designer. When encoded on a machine-readable datatransmission, gate array, or storage medium, design structure 920 may beaccessed and processed by one or more hardware and/or software moduleswithin design process 910 to simulate or otherwise functionallyrepresent an electronic component, circuit, electronic or logic module,apparatus, device, or system such as those shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35.As such, design structure 920 may comprise files or other datastructures including human and/or machine-readable source code, compiledstructures, and computer-executable code structures that when processedby a design or simulation data processing system, functionally simulateor otherwise represent circuits or other levels of hardware logicdesign. Such data structures may include hardware-description language(HDL) design entities or other data structures conforming to and/orcompatible with lower-level HDL design languages such as Verilog andVHDL, and/or higher level design languages such as C or C++.

Design process 910 preferably employs and incorporates hardware and/orsoftware modules for synthesizing, translating, or otherwise processinga design/simulation functional equivalent of the components, circuits,devices, or logic structures shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35 to generate anetlist 980 which may contain design structures such as design structure920. Netlist 980 may comprise, for example, compiled or otherwiseprocessed data structures representing a list of wires, discretecomponents, logic gates, control circuits, I/O devices, models, etc.that describes the connections to other elements and circuits in anintegrated circuit design. Netlist 980 may be synthesized using aniterative process in which netlist 980 is resynthesized one or moretimes depending on design specifications and parameters for the device.As with other design structure types described herein, netlist 980 maybe recorded on a machine-readable data storage medium or programmed intoa programmable gate array. The medium may be a non-volatile storagemedium such as a magnetic or optical disk drive, a programmable gatearray, a compact flash, or other flash memory. Additionally, or in thealternative, the medium may be a system or cache memory, buffer space,or electrically or optically conductive devices and materials on whichdata packets may be transmitted and intermediately stored via theInternet, or other networking suitable means.

Design process 910 may include hardware and software modules forprocessing a variety of input data structure types including netlist980. Such data structure types may reside, for example, within libraryelements 930 and include a set of commonly used elements, circuits, anddevices, including models, layouts, and symbolic representations, for agiven manufacturing technology (e.g., different technology nodes, 32 nm,45 nm, 90 nm, etc.). The data structure types may further include designspecifications 940, characterization data 950, verification data 960,design rules 970, and test data files 985 which may include input testpatterns, output test results, and other testing information. Designprocess 910 may further include, for example, standard mechanical designprocesses such as stress analysis, thermal analysis, mechanical eventsimulation, process simulation for operations such as casting, molding,and die press forming, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art ofmechanical design can appreciate the extent of possible mechanicaldesign tools and applications used in design process 910 withoutdeviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. Design process 910may also include modules for performing standard circuit designprocesses such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking,place and route operations, etc.

Design process 910 employs and incorporates logic and physical designtools such as HDL compilers and simulation model build tools to processdesign structure 920 together with some or all of the depictedsupporting data structures along with any additional mechanical designor data (if applicable), to generate a second design structure 990.

Design structure 990 resides on a storage medium or programmable gatearray in a data format used for the exchange of data of mechanicaldevices and structures (e.g., information stored in a IGES, DXF,Parasolid XT, JT, DRG, or any other suitable format for storing orrendering such mechanical design structures). Similar to designstructure 920, design structure 990 preferably comprises one or morefiles, data structures, or other computer-encoded data or instructionsthat reside on transmission or data storage media and that whenprocessed by an ECAD system generate a logically or otherwisefunctionally equivalent form of one or more of the embodiments of theinvention shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35. In one embodiment, designstructure 990 may comprise a compiled, executable HDL simulation modelthat functionally simulates the devices shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35.

Design structure 990 may also employ a data format used for the exchangeof layout data of integrated circuits and/or symbolic data format (e.g.information stored in a GDSII (GDS2), GL1, OASIS, map files, or anyother suitable format for storing such design data structures). Designstructure 990 may comprise information such as, for example, symbolicdata, map files, test data files, design content files, manufacturingdata, layout parameters, wires, levels of metal, vias, shapes, data forrouting through the manufacturing line, and any other data required by amanufacturer or other designer/developer to produce a device orstructure as described above and shown in FIGS. 1-33 and 35. Designstructure 990 may then proceed to a stage 995 where, for example, designstructure 990: proceeds to tape-out, is released to manufacturing, isreleased to a mask house, is sent to another design house, is sent backto the customer, etc.

The method as described above is used in the fabrication of integratedcircuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can be distributedby the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that hasmultiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In thelatter case the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as aplastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or otherhigher level carrier) or in a multichip package (such as a ceramiccarrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buriedinterconnections). In any case the chip is then integrated with otherchips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devicesas part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or(b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includesintegrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-endapplications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboardor other input device, and a central processor.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims, if applicable, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprincipals of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Accordingly, while the invention has beendescribed in terms of embodiments, those of skill in the art willrecognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and inthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A method of forming at least one Micro-Electro-Mechanical System(MEMS), comprising: patterning a wiring layer to form at least one fixedplate; forming a sacrificial material on the wiring layer; forming aninsulator layer of one or more films over the at least one fixed plateand exposed portions of an underlying substrate to prevent formation ofa reaction product between the wiring layer and the sacrificialmaterial; forming at least one MEMS beam that is movable over the atleast one fixed plate; and venting or stripping of the sacrificialmaterial to form at least a first cavity.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the reaction product is aluminum silicide.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the insulator layer over the at least one fixed plateacts to block reaction, alloying, or interdiffusion of material of theat least one fixed plate and the sacrificial material.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the sacrificial material is silicon, the at least onefixed plate contains aluminum, and the insulator layer provides coverageof the aluminum of the at least one fixed plate.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the wiring layer is formed with one or more layers such thatan undercut is formed with respect to a top most layer of the one ormore layers and the insulator layer is formed using conformal depositionprocesses to provide nearly uniform insulator thickness on a top, side,and bottom surfaces of the wiring layer.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the one or more layers comprises AlCu under an upper TiN/TiAl₃layer.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulator layer is formedwith a positive tapered profile.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theinsulator layer is formed using a high density plasma chemical vapordeposition (HDPCVD) process.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein theinsulator layer of one or more films is formed by a deposition process,etching process and deposition process, with at least one etchingprocess.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising tapering theinsulator layer at corners of the at least one fixed plate to reduce oreliminate the void.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulatorlayer is conformally deposited over the wiring layer.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the insulator layer is an oxide deposited by one ormore of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD),sub-atmospheric CVD (SACVD), atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD), highdensity plasma CVD (HDPCVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomiclayer deposition (ALD) or low pressure CVD (LPCVD).
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the insulator layer is a conformal barrier comprisingAl₂O₃ (alumina), Ta₂O₅ (tantalum pentaoxide), or a combination of both.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulator layer comprises HDPCVDoxide followed ALD alumina.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein theHDPCVD oxide is followed by a PECVD oxide.
 16. The method of claim 1,wherein the insulator layer comprises ALD alumina followed by HDPCVDoxide.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulator layer comprisesa combination of fast deposition SiO₂ and slow deposition alumina. 18.The method of claim 1, wherein the insulator layer is deposited attemperatures compatible with aluminum wiring.
 19. The method of claim 1,wherein the insulator layer forms part or all of a MEMS capacitordielectric.
 20. A method of forming at least oneMicro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS), comprising: patterning a wiringlayer containing aluminum to form at least one fixed plate on asubstrate; depositing an dielectric layer over the at least one fixedplate on the at least one fixed plate; depositing a sacrificial siliconlayer on top of the dielectric layer, and over the at least one fixedplate, wherein the dielectric layer blocks reaction, alloying, orinterdiffusion of the aluminum and the sacrificial silicon layer duringthe depositing of the sacrificial silicon layer; forming at least oneMEMS beam above the at least one fixed plate; and venting or strippingof the sacrificial silicon layer to form at least a first cavity. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectric layer conformally coversthe at least one fixed plate
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein thedielectric layer provides coverage of aluminum on sidewalls of the atleast one fixed plate.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein thedielectric layer comprises tapered edges over the at least one fixedplate.
 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectric layer isdeposited comprising one or more of plasma-enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), sub-atmospheric CVD (SACVD), atmospheric pressureCVD (APCVD), high density plasma CVD (HDPCVD), physical vapor deposition(PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD) or low pressure CVD (LPCVD). 25.The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectric layer is a conformalbarrier comprising Al₂O₃ (alumina), Ta₂O₅ (tantalum pentaoxide), or acombination of both.
 26. The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectriclayer comprises one of: HDPCVD oxide followed ALD alumina and ALDalumina followed by HDPCVD oxide.
 27. The method of claim 26, whereinthe HDPCVD oxide is followed by a PECVD oxide.
 28. A structure,comprising: a lower chamber with at least one fixed plate; an insulatorlayer covering the at least one fixed plate, the insulator layerstructured to prevent formation of aluminum silicide with a sacrificialmaterial deposition; and at least one upper MEMS beam that is movableover the at least one fixed plate.
 29. A method in a computer-aideddesign system for generating a functional design model of a MEMS, themethod comprising: generating a functional representation of a wiringlayer to form at least one fixed plate; generating a functionalrepresentation of an insulator layer over the at least one fixed plateand exposed portions of an underlying substrate to prevent formation ofaluminum silicide during a subsequent sacrificial material depositionstep; generating a functional representation of at least one upper MEMSbeam over the at least one fixed plate; and generating a functionalrepresentation of venting or stripping of the sacrificial material toform at least a lower cavity, wherein the generating a functionalrepresentation of an insulator layer over the at least one fixed platecomprises a functional representation of a conformal oxidization barrierlayer comprising at least one of Al₂O₃ and Ta₂O₅.